Almost "Live from" Disney Wonder to Alaska! My Second Disney Experience

[lovely_serenity]

So the night before, we had left some music playing via the alarm clock/iPod dock on the bedside table. We had all slept peacefully … too peacefully. It had turned out that listening to music while sleeping, de-sensitized us from noise, and therefore our alarm clocks did nothing in waking us up. While we were off in dreamland, others had already woken up.

 

My sibling-duo cousins went up to Beach Blanket Buffet to get something to eat:

 

 

 

While my 30s-girl cousin had herself a healthy breakfast in her stateroom with her parents:

 

 

I woke up at round 9:30am to a call from my mom telling me my aunts and little cousin were looking for me. I shot up, checked the time, and realized that I was already late for the event that I had lined up to get tickets for!

 

 

I quickly got ready and booked it to Animator’s Palate in an attempt to catch up with my relatives. After passing through Shutters, I ran into them. Confused, I asked them why they weren’t in Animator’s Palate. They told me that it wasn’t what we expected. The replacement for the Princess Tea Party was simply an entry to a photo session with Ana and Elsa, not a variation. That meant, no tea party, no real interactions with the characters. I was a little disappointed, but I would still go check it out. They said they had already taken their pictures, and told me to quickly go take mine. They told me they were now heading to Studio Sea to meet up with some of my other relatives. They were all planning to attend the “Disney’s Art of Entertaining: The Appetizer”. I told them I would meet them there afterwards. We then parted ways.

 

As I scurried toward the restaurant, one of my aunts suddenly appeared next to me. A little confused, I asked her why she wasn’t with the rest of them. She told me she had followed me to help me take a picture with the characters. I thanked her and we rushed to Animator’s Palate. Upon arrival, this is what I saw:

 

 

I got my pictures with Ana and Elsa, and conversed with them for a bit beforehand:

 

 

Ana was really cute; she was all perky and cheerful. Very in character (: She spoke to me quite a bit, asking me if I was going to a ball because I was dressed to prettily. I laughed and said I was :D

[lovely_serenity]

 

Elsa was beautiful and looked very much the part, but she didn’t talk very much. She kind of just smiled and nodded, but didn’t say … well … anything LOL. It seemed that conversing and interacting with the guests was Ana’s job ^^.

 

While I was meeting these characters, my cousins saw a few other ones, such as Princess Sofia (from Sofia the First) :

 

 

and Doc McStuffins:

 

 

I actually saw Princess Sofia while we were on our way to Studio Sea!

 

 

We turned the corner and quietly slipped into our seats, joining 6 of my aunts and uncles.

 

 

[lovely_serenity]

Today they were teaching us how to make Wild Mushroom Risotto and Porcini Twist:

 

 

 

It was quite good, and I’m not even a risotto-person. That being said, I’m sure everything tastes delicious when you’re starving and it’s the first thing you’ve eaten all day LOL.

 

They served it with a white wine (I forget the name of it):

 

 

*This session has no surcharge and everyone gets a set of food + wine if you attend.

 

A little into the session, my sibling-duo cousins showed up and joined us.

 

 

 

After the chef teaches you how to make it, a person in charge of the bar on board explains why this wine pairs nicely with the meal. She told us to swirl it, smell it, tilt the glass, examine it etc. (That’s where you follow along and pretend you know what you’re doing LOL)

 

I’m not really a drinker, so I kind of just touched it to my lip to taste it. I gave the rest to my aunt, she told me not to waste it and promptly poured it into her own glass ^^.

 

 

After the cooking lesson and the wine smelling lesson, we all dispersed and agreed to meet up for lunch. I decided to go hit the gym for a bit prior to noon. The aunt that went with me to meet Ana and Elsa also wanted to exercise, so we agreed to meet back at my stateroom after changing into our gym wear.

 

On my way to my room, I passed by the laundrette and noticed that it was empty! Finally I can get a picture of it without looking creepy! :D

 

 

(p.s. I didn’t know Disney called their Laundromats “laundrettes” too)

[lovely_serenity]

 

After that, we met up and headed up to the Vista Spa (where the gym is located). Of course, I didn’t bring my camera. o_o It’s okay, I took a picture of the gym on that last sea day :D So look forward to that.

 

After exercising, we returned to our respective rooms, showered and got ready for lunch. I think Sis came into the room while I was getting ready, so we headed downstairs together.

 

While my guy cousin was lining up to get tables big enough for our entire group, something appeared in front of him:

 

 

That explained why we were unable to get into Triton’s via the main entrance, the Princess Gathering was going on! We arrived at the Atrium, somewhat confused as to what the buzzing was all about. Once we saw what was going on, we understood immediately ^^”.

 

 

 

 

[lovely_serenity]

The lineup was so ridiculous, I’m not even kidding.

 

 

Besides that, I thought the system of being able to meet with every single princess in one go was pretty nice. You can see your route via the green arrow depicted above. ^^

 

We actually only saw how long the lineup was when we went around to the back entrance of the restaurant.

 

We entered Triton’s, scoped out the place, and quickly located our ginormous party. We scampered over and promptly seated ourselves.

 

Here was today’s lunch menu:

 

 

Vegetable Quesadillas:

 

 

(This was really the only thing that nobody ordered, so I asked my guy cousin to order it LOL. He kind of reluctantly thought about it, but ultimately got it when my siblings agreed to help him out with it. It wasn’t bad at all, I’d give it a 7.5/10)

 

Citrus Fruit Cocktail:

 

 

 

(Which I ordered. It was very good, the almond slices complimented the citrus fruits well. 9.0/10)

 

Assorted Seafood Sampler:

 

 

(I got this too. Basically everyone ordered it, with the exception of my sister who isn’t too fond of seafood. It comes with some scallops, some cocktail shrimps and a crab claw. I liked it very much, they spoon some butter sauce onto it too. Squeeze the lemon and voila, deliciousness for you right there :D 9.0/10. The only complaint I have is the fact that the crab claw was a little difficult to eat, even though they did give you one of the claw cracking clamps. The crab claw also didn’t taste that good because it wasn’t soft, it was … perhaps not thawed well enough? I don’t know, maybe it was just mine, everyone else seemed to enjoy it.)

[lovely_serenity]

Ginger-Infused Carrot Soup:

 

 

(Which I cannot vouch for, as I did not try it. ^^” I can only rate things I tasted. For the most part, I try other people’s food, but chose not to try this one since I do not care for ginger. It’s literally the one food I cannot eat, I really, really dislike it. I feel like I wouldn’t be able to give a reliable rating for this one taking all things into consideration. Anyhow, this is what it looks like LOL. My cousin seemed to like it, though?)

 

The Chuck Burger:

 

 

(My guy cousin ordered this. I asked him and he seemed to quite enjoy it. My other cousin tried it too and can probably vouch for him :) 8.6/10) + we ate a few of his fries and they were good :D

 

Fusili Pasta:

 

 

(My sister and I ordered this. This was actually a pretty decently made pasta. The sundried tomatoes were a very nice touch. The mushrooms were also very good and the pasta itself was well cooked. 8.8/10)

 

Grilled Halibut:

 

 

(My 20s girl cousin ordered this. I also asked her how it was, she said it was good and it wasn’t dry. I tried some too. 8.7/10)

 

Turkey Melt Sandwich on Whole-Grain Panini:

 

 

(My brother ordered this. He seemed to enjoy it. 8.2/10) + Potato chips were good :P

 

Pepperoni Pizza from the Kid’s Menu:

 

 

(My 10 year old cousin ordered from the kid’s menu this time around. I asked her why she did, as I had already warned her beforehand that the food from the kid’s menu was always … well … not good LOL. They saved the good food for adults who could complain about it. She argued that there was nothing else she wanted to order. Anyways, she didn’t really care for it. She kind of struggled to finish this little clump of food. My brother took a bite of one of her pizza slices, and immediately dropped it back on her plate. He remarked at how terrible the kid’s menu pizza was. Pinocchio’s Pizzeria on the Lido deck was way better. On the bright side, the fries were good? 4.0/10)

[lovely_serenity]

After that, we chatted and waited for our dessert.

 

 

Quite a few people ordered the Key Lime Pie:

 

 

(It was pretty good, but a little sour. Not jumping out of my seat for it, but not bad. 8.0/10)

 

Chocolate Ice Cream:

 

 

(Their daily selection of ice creams were always the boring flavours. i.e. vanilla, chocolate. 8.0/10)

 

New York Cheesecake:

 

 

(This was good. Not made from actual cream cheese, so the lighter kind. The type that’s more cake-mousse-ish than the real rich, heavier kind. 8.1/10)

 

Hot Chocolate Fudge Pudding:

 

 

(I ordered this. One of the better desserts. Basically like chocolate lava cake. Yummy, but would’ve been even better, had it been warmer. It was in between lukewarm and warm, not warm enough. Ate every bite, though. 8.6/10)

 

Apple Pie:

 

 

(This wasn’t bad either. It was, however, more filling than pastry. A little more squishy block than actual apple. Still, didn’t taste bad. 7.8/10)

Edited November 9, 2014 by lovely_serenity

[lovely_serenity]

Vanilla Ice Cream:

 

 

(Typical vanilla ice cream from the daily ice cream selections. Pretty hard to mess up LOL. Just your average vanilla ice cream. 8.0/10)

 

After enjoying our meals, we discussed what our plans for the afternoon would be. My brother and sister said that they were going to be hitting the gym. I said I was going to be giving out my FE (Fish Extender) gifts. I invited my 10 year old cousin and my sibling-duo cousins to join me. After some discussion, they all agreed.

 

We all headed to my stateroom and I rolled out my gift-filled suitcase:

 

 

(the presents on top were the ones that didn’t fit in it ^^”)

 

I then started to sort of the gifts by floor. I think we had just over 20 gift bags to distribute. I checked out the maps and locations I had saved on my iPad (I had pictures of each deck and had marked down the location of every stateroom I had to drop a gift off at)

 

 

After separating and sorting all the bags by floor, we headed out. We were basically going to be doing this until dinner time. The 3 of them help carry the gift bags and we are on our way! We start from our deck and work our way down. We decided the plan of action was to go from our deck, all the way to the bottom deck, and then take the elevator back up. We head down the stairs and arrive at our first door. I take a picture, of course (:

 

 

We had just taken the elevator and had just arrived at deck 6 (our deck). We had decided that this was going to be our last floor before we separated and got ready for formal night. As we were in the middle of placing gifts at doors, there was a sudden announcement stating that there was “a big whale” on our starboard side. We kind of looked at each other, a little confused. Initially, we had heard “a big wave”. After some discussion, we realized that it had said “whale”. My guy cousin asked me where starboard was, and I point to it (since I was looking at the map of rooms we were going to drop presents off at). All of a sudden, all 3 of my cousins made a mad dash down that hallway. I kind of stood there for half a second confused. I call out to them that there are no windows on deck 6, and that was when it dawned on me :O!! They have a balcony room!! It's the cabin 2 of them shared! (The siblings) My guy cousin knocks on his parents’ room across the hallway to tell them there were whales, and we drop all of our things on the bed and rush to the balcony. Lo and behold, the whale! :D

 

 

(My 20s girl cousin took this, I didn’t bother taking a picture because it was so far away and my super-wide lens was attached to the camera at the time. It can’t zoom very far, it’s not the zoom lens. That, and also because I dropped it on the bed when we came in LOL)

 

After that, I headed back to my room (I think I dropped the 10 year old off at her room on the way) to get ready for formal night. We had to get ready early today because the Welcome Reception was at 5:15pm, half an hour before dinner. I arrived at my stateroom and found both of my siblings tired out from their workouts and getting ready for dinner. They apparently saw the whale from the gym as well!

 

We all got ready and headed over to the Atrium for the reception. To be honest, it wasn’t really a reception. It was basically an opportunity to take pictures with the Captain, or by yourself in front of Triton’s. There were also random servers going around, offering you complimentary drinks (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic). We looked around, searching for our relatives, and spotted them one deck above, near the DVC counter. We headed upstairs to join them. Since there wasn’t much going on, we started taking pictures of each other. Why not, right? We’re all dressed up :D. Before taking pictures of people, my brother and I noticed the pretty weather outside, and headed outside to the open deck (we were on deck 4). Our initial excitement quickly disappeared when we realized that the wind was chuck-you-off-the-deck strong. I literally had to hold the camera an arm’s length away from my face and hope that it was a good shot, because the wind was throwing my hair so hard, it would otherwise cover my lens LOL.

 

[lovely_serenity]

 

 

 

After that, we ran back inside (hair all over the place), looking like I had just fought a war. After some quick tidying, we took some more pictures. Here was my formal night dress! :D

 

 

While we were in the middle of taking photos, my 20s-girl cousin pokes me and gestures to the door outside. She then makes the picture taking action and grins. I laugh and ask her if she knows what she’s getting herself into, and if she’s ready to face the strong wind that will mess up her hair. She promptly says it will be no problem. My brother follows along and the 3 of us go outside, fight the wind and take some pictures. Following that, we all run back inside and tidy ourselves back up once more.

 

While we’re taking pictures, here’s what reception’s looking like:

 

 

Not really a reception, is it? It’s just families lining up to get their photos taken. WELL NOT US, MY FAMILY HAS SARAH THE PHOTOGRAPHER :-D

 

While we’re taking pictures, servers come over and hand us drinks. Here are the 3 types of drinks offered:

 

Non-alcoholic apple cider with a cherry tomato(?) in it:

 

[lovely_serenity]

 

Red wine:

 

 

And white wine:

 

 

As we were taking pictures, suddenly, Rapunzel showed up! Some took pictures with her, and I took a selca (or “selfie”) with her! :D

 

 

After that, we all started making our way to Animator’s Palate for dinner.

 

And you wouldn’t believe who we ran into right outside of the restaurant! Another princess: Tiana! ^^ Of course I also took a selca with her (that’s the theme for this trip. I’m going to take selcas with characters instead of having them taken the normal way, since everybody has their pictures taken the same way. I’m trying this out :P)

 

 

Once I got my picture, we headed into the restaurant!

 

[chamima]

Again - thank you SO much Sarah for posting this and renewing the excitement for our cruise next year. :D

(For me , your installments are better than an all-at-one-time post because our cruise isn't until Dec. 2105. So as the excitement starts to wane, there's a new post from you to ignite it again!)

[skiladyldp]

Hi Sarah, I have been following this review and have read through your other ones as well. For a true foodie cruise try Oceania one day. Yes it's pricey and the crowd is older but the food is the best!!

 

Virginia

[chamima]

Again - thank you SO much Sarah for posting this and renewing the excitement for our cruise next year. :D

(For me , your installments are better than an all-at-one-time post because our cruise isn't until Dec. 2105. So as the excitement starts to wane, there's a new post from you to ignite it again!)

 

Not quite that far away. :p ;)

It's December 2015.

[OurDogCisco]

Following along.... We did an Alaskan cruise but with NCL out of Seattle. We were to lazy to drive over the border to go on Disney. So I'm excited to do a little comparison between your trip and mine.

[lovely_serenity]

Again - thank you SO much Sarah for posting this and renewing the excitement for our cruise next year. :D

(For me , your installments are better than an all-at-one-time post because our cruise isn't until Dec. 2105. So as the excitement starts to wane, there's a new post from you to ignite it again!)

 

It's my pleasure! :D Thanks for reading it!! I actually worry about how long I haven't updated too ^^" I keep trying to remind myself to do so, but luckily, my midterm exams are almost all over. My last midterm is in 2 days. I have a term paper to write too, but luckily, I've already finished (basically) 3 other ones. Since my terrible cluster of schoolwork is beginning to wane, I will finally have a break!! I will definitely try to update some more so I can fuel your excitement! :D

[lovely_serenity]

Hi Sarah, I have been following this review and have read through your other ones as well. For a true foodie cruise try Oceania one day. Yes it's pricey and the crowd is older but the food is the best!!

 

Virginia

Hi!

 

I've actually had Oceania recommended by many other people for the exact same reason! :D I guess I'm going to have to make sure my parents read this post (which I'm sure they will since my mom has been following this blog--hear that, Mom? Take me on Oceania! :p).

Edited November 11, 2014 by lovely_serenity

[lovely_serenity]

not quite that far away. :p ;)

it's december 2015.

 

Haha :D in 2105, neither of us will be around anymore LOL

[lovely_serenity]

Following along.... We did an Alaskan cruise but with NCL out of Seattle. We were to lazy to drive over the border to go on Disney. So I'm excited to do a little comparison between your trip and mine.

 

Thank you for following! (: Oo, we've actually considered an Alaskan cruise out of Seattle before, but ultimately decided against it after reading about the serious motion experienced while cruising around Vancouver Island. Is that true? && Definitely! Point out things that you've noticed is different! I'd like to hear too! :)

[TriGator]

Loving your posts! We're doing this same cruise in June and your post is helping us to get even more excited for the trip!

[meminla]

Thank you for following! (: Oo, we've actually considered an Alaskan cruise out of Seattle before, but ultimately decided against it after reading about the serious motion experienced while cruising around Vancouver Island. Is that true? && Definitely! Point out things that you've noticed is different! I'd like to hear too! :)

 

 

 

Interesting you mention departing out of Seattle has issues with motion. I cruised out of Seattle about 5 years ago and for the first time in my life I had to get medicine for motion sickness. Was fine after the first day or so.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Emperor Norton]

Hi!

 

I've actually had Oceania recommended by many other people for the exact same reason! :D I guess I'm going to have to make sure my parents read this post (which I'm sure they will since my mom has been following this blog--hear that, Mom? Take me on Oceania! :p).

 

Sorry for the interrut -

 

IMO:

 

I've been on a few Oceania cruises. They do advertise themselves as a 'foodie' cruise line. While they do have a number of options, especially on the bigger ships in my experience its just not worth it.

 

In the GDR (Grand Dining room) for breakfast staff would stand at your table and watch you cut into your eggs whenever they were ordered poached as the kitchen couldn't seem to get it right (on my trips their miss rate was about 90%). Further, certain dishes that were cooked for one night and not served would be re-cooked and served on a subsequent night (Jacques specialty shoe leather -er chicken comes to mind - further confirmed by speaking with an ex-Oceania employee on a different line).

 

Food listed on the Waves grill menu wasn't delivered as advertised, passengers were told to 'fix it' themselves. Burgers ordered from waves never arrived at the requested temperature unless you wanted beyond well done.

 

The prime rib in the steakhouse was freezerburned. Other steaks had obviously been through several freeze/thaw/freeze cycles.

 

Red Ginger was in my opinion dumbed down Asian food. There seemed to be some flavors/spices missing.

 

The Italian restaurant had a nice block of cheese, but was imo nothing special.

 

Jacques was extra special. Every dish came out either swimming in grease, below room temperature or both. The speed in there was glacial.

 

The buffet was a zoo. People pushing/shoving to get ahead or grab the last of something, people relocating other people while they were in line. It was like something out of Wild Kingdom.

 

The one shining bit of foodieness on the cruise (imo) were the dinners in La Reserve. This was the level of service and near the level of food I'd expected in the other restaurants.

 

For the price Oceania costs Id much rather be on Seabourn, or perhaps give Silversea another chance.

 

Thank you for taking the time and energy to post your review.

[lovely_serenity]

It was still pretty empty at this point.

 

 

We seated ourselves and to our delight, were met with these adorably themed fancy napkins!

 

 

We then settled ourselves and took a look at tonight’s menu:

 

 

 

 

(Here’s the kid’s menu)

 

[lovely_serenity]

 

We all ordered and as we waited for our food, munched on some bread from the bread buckets

 

 

While we were chatting, I noticed this perfect little beam of light in the otherwise dark restaurant:

 

 

Needless to say I dragged every plate of food underneath this little spot of glory for my pictures ^^

 

(Cute chandelier décor)

 

 

Shortly thereafter, our appetizers arrived!

 

Crispy Cheeses Ravioli:

 

 

(This was actually quite good, Erikson had recommended it to us! 8.2/10)

 

Caramelized Bay Scallops:

 

 

(Scallops were good, typical small size, risotto was good—which is impressive because I’m not a risotto person—though a little oily. Didn’t finish the risotto, finished the scallops. 8.0/10)

[lovely_serenity]

Prosciutto with Chilled Honeydew:

 

 

(Tasted exactly how it looked, quite good. Classic dish, can’t really go wrong. 8.4/10)

 

Broccoli and Maytag Blue Cheese Soup:

 

 

(Not bad, quite enjoyed it. 8.1/10)

 

Crispy Romaine and Chicory Leaves:

 

 

(Your typical salad with a piece of smoked turkey, some avocado and tomato on top. 7.3/10)

 

Then came the entrées!

 

Yachtsman Steakhouse Grilled NY Strip:

 

 

(Delicious steak with herb garlic butter on it (: Mmm... 9.2/10)

 

Oven-roasted Duckling:

 

 

(Very good, but not as good as the duck breast I ate on the Volendam ^^ 8.6/10)

 

Grilled Ginger-Lime Swordfish Steak:

 

 

(It was alright, not very soft since it was so thick cut, so … yeah. It was okay. 7.5/10)

[lovely_serenity]

Since I don’t usually run around much at dinner (as opposed to at lunch) I missed a few dishes. Here is one more entrées picture courtesy of my uncle!

 

Jumbo Shrimp and Porcini Mushroom Tagliatelle:

 

 

(Can’t really comment on this because I was nowhere near it :P)

 

Time for dessert!

 

 

 

 

But first, Grandma’s birthday! A mass of crew members came over and sang happy birthday and presented her with this little birthday cake!

 

 

(pic from 30s cousin’s camera)